The Truth is Out There? National Parks and UFOs

Today is World UFO Day, a holiday for those interested in unexplained aerial  phenomenon to meet and look to the sky. The July 2 date was chosen because of its connections to the Roswell UFO crash.

My next National Park thriller is entitled Need to Know. It's due out this fall and centers on a UFOs and a world wide conspiracy to keep their true nature and purpose hidden from humanity.

UFOs have been spotted all over the world and on every continent. Not surprising the national parks are the location of some of the worlds most famous UFO sightingsse hidden from the world. What follows is a listing of the top five National Park/UFO sightings and connections.

5. Glacier National Park After World War II the United States in Operation Paperclip transferred thousands of ex-Nazi scientists to America to work on physics, chemistry, munitions, rockets, and advanced aviation programs. Some beleive these projects include super sonic aircraft that employ advanced pulse engines and light bending stealth technology. This stealth systems also allow them to fly in broad daylight without detection. Some believe these top secret craft have been tested and flown in Montana's Glaicer National Park.

According to these experts  Glaicer was chosen for a super secret advanced aircraft test facilities because it was the only park at the end of the war to be both remote and with railroad access. Nazi technology and materials were transferred to the park and stored in a two mile deep research facility, that according to some still exists today.


I've been to Glacier countless times, I've even been a ranger there having worked with the Park Service back in 1992.  I've driven the Going to the Sun road hundreds of times and at all hours of the day and night. If there is a secret base off the road (which is only two lanes), it is incredibly well hid. Moreover, in order to access the road without being seen, the CIA would have to close it (there is no other access across the park) causing huge traffic disruptions. People would notice the road being closed.

Finally, the Going to the Sun road is buried under dozens of feet of snow roughly 8 months out of the year. CIA and Nazi scientists would be either locked out or locked into their base for most of the year. If there ever was a secret Nazi test facility at the park, its likely been abandon for a more convenient place to conduct cutting edge research.

4. Yellowstone National Park It seems UFO, National Parks and top secret underground bases go together like pen and paper, peaches and cream, table and chairs. You get the point. Our next park on the list also involves top secret underground research bases.  Like Glacier, the federal government has supposedly excavated large subterranean caverns under the national park to conduct super secret research and tests. Strange lights and flying orbs have been reported, which some say proves the park is a secret base.  These UFO researchers believe that parks are actually cover and park regulations and restrictions on human movement are put in place to prevent visitors from stumbling on the truth.


Like Glacier, I've also been to Yellowstone countless times and as it just so happens I was also a ranger at our nation's first national park. I had the honor of working at the Grant Visitor center and leading hikes at the West Thumb geyser basin. On occasion I'd hear from visitors curious to learn about the secret tunnels and hidden bases under the park.

My standard answer was that I was a mere GS5 ranger and my security clearance was pretty low (okay actually non-existent). Therefore the park leadership didn't see fit to tell me everything about Yellowstone's management. However, what they did tell me is that Yellowstone is the site of the world's largest super volcano which is overdue for its next eruption. The super hot magma just a mere three miles below the surface, heats billions of gallons of groundwater to near the boiling point and spreads it throughout much of the park's acreage through many unmapped thermal vents, tubes, and fissures,  I seriously doubt there are massive underground installations in such a active geothermal and seismic place. This response was often met with a skeptical look and "oh, you must be one of them."


3. Devils Tower: According to scientists, Devils Tower is the neck of an extinct volcano.  The sides have eroded away through millions of years of wind and rain leaving the much harder volcanic rock which made up the volcanoes core. It is the nation's first national monument, having been established by Teddy Roosevelt in 1906.

UFO researchers from all over the world have been drawn to Devils Tower not the least of which because of its prominent role in the 1977 hit movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The local Indians name for the site roughly translates as Bad God's Tower.

The site has become a mecca of sorts for UFO chasers. Locals even claim its some type of beacon or portal facilitating alien transport.

2. Washington Mall: In 1952, the United States was just entering the height of the Cold War. The
Russians and the Americans were in the initial phases of the space race. Americans were terrified they would fall behind the Soviet nemisis in what everyone knew would be the location of the next world war: Outer Space.

On July 19, 1952 Air Traffic Controllers spotted several objects on radar. There were no scheduled flights that evening. The objects came from the south and were seen over the national mall including over the national park units like the White House. Witnesses described the objects as oranges balls of fire trailing a tail.

The objects got the attention of the country including the president. President Truman asked the CIA to look into the objects. On July 29th, the Air Force held its largest press conference since World World II.  The Air Force claimed the objects were aerial phenomenon like meteors and radar hits were explained by temperature inversions.

While this was the official explanation, the CIA became concerned about the threat of UFO reports and how they could overwhelm defense resources, leading to a public panic, and facilitating a foreign invasion.

1. Mount Rainier: In 1947 Kenneth Arnold an executive, with the Great Western Fire Control Supply Company, was flying home from Chehalis Washington in a small two-seater private plane, when he spotted 9 objects racing down from Canada, past Mount Rainier and off past Mount Adams.  Mr. Arnold reported the sighting and is credited with the first modern era UFO sighting.

The Mount Rainier sighting is the starting point of my new thriller Need to Know which explores what would happen if an object had been buried in the mountain's snow and ice for nearly 70 years. The story delves into what its discovery would mean for the world and who might be willing to kill to keep it secret.


That's my list of the top UFO national parks. Did we get it right? Which parks did we miss? Tell us your UFO park stories in the comment section.

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Everything you wanted to know about being a Ranger

Ever wondered how a park ranger knows all the names of every flower or animal in their park? Ever wondered why some rangers where baseball caps, while others wear the famed flat hat? Ever wondered what advice rangers really give visitors on what to do when confronted with a bear on the trail?

The following is a talk on some of the fun, adventure, crazy questions and wacky adventures I got into over my five seasons as a ranger. It also provides my behind the scenes, never before shared insight into what rangers really do and think.

Enjoy!

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

President Obama and all Rangers share something in common

President Obama and all park rangers share something else in common.

We've all lived in National Parks.

As the President notes in this video, the White House is a national park. I've got the President beat on this matter, as I've lived in three parks: Glacier, the North Cascades, and Yellowstone.

Like the President, my time living in national parks underlined to me that these places belong to all Americans including those yet unborn.

National Parks are the physical manifestation of what Americans hold dear. However, they are even more, they provide a path forward to a better world.

America faces significant challenges. However, I've seen the power of national parks to break down barriers and reveal the common ground we all share. Sharing common ground and understanding is the first step in a conversation which can lead to real and lasting change.

As the President reminds us, it will take all of us to protect our parks and planet. But in the end, it shouldn't be that difficult, because by protecting our parks, we are really protecting ourselves.

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

National Park's Spookiest Places

Yellowstone's burnt forests

In light of Halloween coming up, here is my list of the National Park Service's Spookiest places.

1. Yellowstone's burnt forests. The fires that roared thru Yellowstone in 1988 left nearly a third of the park charred black. A forest of dead trees, like something out of Snow White's Haunted Forest nearly overnight replaced lush and mature Lodge Pole Pine forests. At night, one's imagination can play tricks and make one see monsters behind every twisted snag.

Snow White's Haunted Forest

But a funny thing has happened over the years since these fires, the forests are coming back. In fact, fire is part of the Yellowstone ecosystem and a part of the Lodge Pole Pine forests natural So, what is seen as spooky is actually part of the fo
rest's regeneration process.



Glacier Park's Northern Lights ~ NPS

2. Glacier Park's spectral lights. Glacier National Park in Northwestern Montana lies at the 49th parallel. This puts it among the northern most states in the continental United States. On clear winter nights some may witness eerie, dancing, ghostly green, yellow, blue or red lights. Some describe the light as if the entire sky is on fire.

But there is a more earthly explanation for the lights. They are actually high energy solar particles captured at the earth's pole's by its magnetic field. When these particles are captured by the magnetic field and when they collide with the earth's atmosphere produce bursts of spectacular light.

3. Hanford's B Reactor. During the height of World War II, the United States conducted a super secret program to build a weapon of unspeakable power. The United States believed it was in a race against Nazi Germany to developed the world's first atomic bomb. History tells us the United States was the first to unlock the cosmic power of the atom.



Hanford B Reactor ~ DOE

At Hanford Washington, the federal government found the perfect site to manufacturer plutonium, the fuel for a high power bomb. Hanford had large tracts of undeveloped land, unlimited water from the nearby Columbia River, and cheap and limitless power from the recently completed Grand Coulee dam. In 1943 the federal government acquired the Hanford district, a site larger than the city of Los Angeles. It built the world's first large scale nuclear reactor and was the birthplace of the atomic age. The Hanford B reactor as it is known produced nuclear fuel until 1968.

The production of nuclear fuel produces millions of gallons of radioactive, mixed radioactive, and highly dangerous hazardous waste. Much of it was pour directly on the ground, millions of gallons more are now stored in leaking underground tanks.

On December 19, 2014, President Obama signed the Defense Authorization Bill creating the Manhattan Project National Historic Site. This park includes the Hanford B reactor, and sites at Los Alamos New Mexico, and Oak Ridge Tennessee. And tells the story of the Manhattan Project work that likely shortened the war, but also the incredible economic, social, environmental, and human cost. A cost we are still paying today.

I've sat at the reactor control panel. I've stood at the base of the Hanford B reactor pile. Staring up at the pile one is struck by the magnitude of the task the Manhattan scientists, soldiers, engineers, and politicians faced to beat the Nazis.  One can only imagine the decisions, stress, conflicts, compromises, that were made. The ghosts of those decisions still permeate the site.

Fort Vancouver ~ NPS

4. The bones and tools of Fort Vancouver In Southwestern Washington is the site of one of the West Coasts oldest settlements. It was the site of the Hudson Bay company's western operations. It was the site of the first multi cultural settlement on America's west coast. It was eventually transferred to the US Army and saw soldiers like US Grant and George Marshal walk its grounds. Today the Fort has been transferred to the National Park Service. Besides the physical grounds and buildings, the Park Service is responsible for the curation of artifacts, remains, and tools from across the northwest. The Park Service's collection includes tools used by native Americans more than 8,000 years ago. The site is also riddle with native American burial sites, making the site sacred to several tribes. These unmarked gravesites give the Fort an unworldly feel to it.

5. Pickett's March In July of 1863, the United State's was at the height of a bloody civil war. At its


Pickett's Charge ~ NPS

end between 600,000 and 800,000 soldiers and civilians would be killed in the conflict. Many historians believe the Gettysburg was the turning point of the war, and Pickett's march was the turning point of the battle. This march saw nearly the entirety of Confederate General George Pickett's division wiped out in just a few hours. The men in Pickett's division were required to march miles across an exposed field under constant Union cannon and rifle fire. The end result was more than 3,000 men in Pickett's division alone killed, wounded or captured.

Standing on both Seminary and Cemetery ridges, the starting locations of the Confederate and Union forces respectfully, one is struck by the gravity of the battle that took place on these grounds. One is left wondering where the courage comes from to step out onto a field where one is likely to be killed.

Like the Hanford B reactor and Fort Vancouver, Gettysburg has a surreal feel to it.  A place haunted by the sacrifice and loss of life that took place on these grounds. And even though the battle was more than 150 years ago, the echoes of those lost lives can still be heard today.

That's it. These are my list of the National Park's spookiest places. What are your thoughts?

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

My Favorite "secret" Park Spots

By Mark Wagner Lone Star Geyser via Wikimedia Commons

Having worked and played in nearly 200 parks, I've found a number of places and spots that are off the beaten path.  Places that are open to the public, but perhaps hidden gems. These spots provide unique opportunities for adventure, firsthand encounters with history, stunning scenery, wildlife interactions, opportunities for tranquility and much, much more. Here is my insider list of  the top "hidden" national park spots.

1. National Mall ~ Signers of the Constitution
Alright its probably hard to believe that anything can be hidden on the national mall.  The national park sites like the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and Vietnam Memorial welcome millions of visitors every year. I get it. There are roughly 20 national park sites on America's iconic front yard. But a little visited spot is to be found on the island in the middle of Constitution Gardens Pond. It's the understated memorial to the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence. Most people miss this spot, as the shuffle back and forth between more popular sites like the Vietnam and World War II memorials. One can access the island from a small bridge found on the northern shore of the pond.  From the island one can learn about the 56 brave men who started America on its path to independence, while enjoying iconic views of the Washington Monument minus the crowds.

2. North Cascades ~ Stehekin
Stehekin is a secret spot, hidden in plain site. At the far end of the glacier carved Lake Chelan. Stehekin is a community of roughly 50 to 75 people in the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. To access the town, one must ride a boat, take a plane or hike.  There is no road access. Some have called Stehekin "the most remote place in the continental United States." Stehekin has a general store, gift shop, restaurant, visitor center, hotel, and even a bakery. It's a recharging station for many hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail and a jumping off point for the North Cascades National Park. Don't miss Stehekin, but be prepared. It's not something seen in a couple hours.  If one wants to truly experience this hidden gem, plan to spend several days.

3. Wrangell St. Elias ~ Kennecott
This is the second of the places you really have to want to see to get there.  McCarthy is at the end of a 60 mile dirt road, heavily potholed and cratered. Some of likened the travel to McCarthy to that of driving on the moon. It's not for the faint of heart, or those susceptible to motion sickness. However, for those willing to take the risk, the reward is worth it. At the far end of the road (there is no gas along the way so come prepared), is the Kennecott mining district. Like Stehekin, Kennecott is a little, yet vibrant community, tucked away within millions of acres of pristine wilderness. In Kennecott, one can tour the Park Service visitor center, enjoy a cup of tea, and access the trail head for a fairly easy hike to Root glacier.

4. Glacier ~ Polebridge
This is the third you really have to want to go there spot on my list. Polebridge is the smallest of the three park tucked away communities. It's accessed by starting in Glacier's Apgar village on the west side of the park. Travel along the Camas road until it come to a T intersection with the outside North Fork Road. Take a right and drive next dozen miles of the alternating paved and dirt road until you hit Polebridge. Like Stehekin and Kennecott, Polebridge has a few amenities like a general store, restaurant, and hotel. But that's about it. Like Kennecott there is no gas at the end of the road and it's the least developed of the three communities. Polebridge is a great place to look for wildlife including wolves and grizzly bears, oh yeah and the pizza at the Northern Lights Saloon is fantastic!

5. Yellowstone ~ Lone Star Geyser
Lone Star Geyser is for those who want a opportunity to see a unique and fairly dramatic/regular geyser without the crowds of those say at Old Faithful. Lone Star Geyser can be found fittingly enough at the end of the Lone Star Geyser trail. The trail head is 3 1/2 miles south of Old Faithful on the Grand Loop road. Heading toward the West Thumb geyser basin, the trailhead is just past the parking for the Kepler Cascades. The trail is a five mile easy round trip. Pack water and a snack, and check with the rangers at Old Faithful for eruption times.

Okay, that's it. These are my top hidden national park gems.  Would love to hear yours.  Leave us a comment on your favorite out of the way national park spots.

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his thrillers click here or follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

What I learned visiting national parks with my Dad

My Dad and I sledding at Mount Rainier 1969

In honor of father's day, I thought I'd pull together a list of my favorite National Parks to visit with my dad.

Growing up my parents made it a priority to take my brother and I to national parks every summer. We trek across America from New York to California, from Alaska to Florida. On these trips we always stopped at national parks. I didn't always appreciate these trips, especially as a teenager. But as I've gotten older, I've realized how special these places and these family adventures truly are. So thanks dad (and mom) for taking me (sometimes kicking and screaming) to the following parks.

5. Gettysburg: Visiting this park with my dad, we learned that real people made real sacrifices in order for us to enjoy the country we have today.  A lot like my dad, sacrificed for our family.

My Dad, brother and I hiking in the foothills around Denali. 1972

4. Yellowstone: Standing in awe of Old Faithful, my father made sure to teach me that like our forefathers who set aside Yellowstone for us,  I too must think about the future. We are to set aside something for the days to come.

3. Denali: Gazing up at Denali with my father taught me to be humble. He made sure to instill within me that there are forces in this world greater than ourselves. This understanding can be overwhelming, but he also showed me it can be empowering as we are part of something grand.

My Dad, brother, and I climbing Rainier in 1989

2. Mount Rainier: Growing up in Washington our regular trips to Rainier revealed that places of wonder, places of majesty are all around us. We don't have to go far they can even be in our backyard, we just have to know where to look.

1. Glacier: Every summer my parents would load up our camper and head to Glacier. We hiked, climbed and camped in nearly every part of that park. Going to Glacier will always be a special place and whenever I stand on the shores of St. Mary's Lake or take in the view at Logan pass, I will think of my dad. Going to Glacier taught me you can go home again.

Happy fathers day Dad, I hope you know that every time I visit a national park, I will think of you.

Sean Smith is a former Yellowstone Ranger, and an award winning conservationist, TEDx speaker, and author. He writes national park thrillers from his home in the shadow of Mount Rainier National Park. To learn more about his conservation work and novels, follow him on twitter: @parkthrillers

Only You Can Protect the North Cascades' Grizzly Bears

The National Park Service (NPS) and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) are taking comments on a plan that would restore the North Cascades Grizzly bear to a health population.  Currently there it is estimated there are roughly a couple dozen bears that transit the park, crossing the border from Canada.  Studies show that this number is not viable.  Inbreeding is likely rampant which can lead to birth defects and the extinction of the ecosystem's bears.

The NPS and FWS are proposing to supplement the current North Cascades Grizzly bear population with individuals relocated from healthy Canadian populations.  Restoring the grizzly bear to the North Cascades would produce numerous legal, economic, ecological, and recreation benefits.

Please join me in urging the federal government to draft a plan that restores the North Cascades Grizzly bear to health numbers.

Click here to send your letter today.

Thanks,

Sean Smith


Below is the letter I sent to the federal government.  Feel free to use it for yours!

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To whom it may concern:

I write today in support of the Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS) and National Park Services (NPS) effort to restore a viable population of Grizzly bears to the North Cascades ecosystem.
Grizzly bears have been a integral component of the North American continent. In the recent past, it was estimated that in America the Grizzly bear population reached 100,000 and ranged from the American plains to the Western coast. Today the remaining few hundred Grizzly bears are limited to a few remote mountainous regions of the country like Yellowstone, Glacier, the Selkirks and the North Cascades.

The FWS and NPS are by law required to preserve and restore endangered and native species. Countless scientific studies and research have shown that viable Grizzly bear habitat exists in the North Cascades and that the few grizzly bears that transit the area do not constitute a viable population.

Besides legal reasons for restoring the bears, there are ecological, economic, recreational benefits to restoring a healthy population. For example, grizzly bears are an indicator species.  Wildlife biologist tell us that if a region has a healthy bear population, its more likely the ecosystem's remaining plants and animals are also robust.  Grizzly bears also have significant economic impacts on areas.  Many visitors from around the globe travel to places like Glacier and Yellowstone with the single purpose of seeing a Grizzly bear in the wild.

Finally, as a former Glacier and Yellowstone park ranger I know recreation and grizzly bears can coexist. People are rightly concerned about traveling in bear country, but simple practices like making noise, traveling in groups, and hanging ones food can significantly improve ones safety.  Moreover, concerns about area closures or exclusions are overblown. These measures are rarely if ever used, and when they are its often for short term reasons such as to protect den sites.
I encourage the FWS and NPS in its draft recovery plan to research the following areas of Grizzly bear recovery:

1. the legal requirements,
2. the ecological benefits,
3. the economic benefits,
4. the recreation impacts,
5. the safety concerns.

Along with the above, and probably most important, I'd ask the FWS and NPS to document the intrinsic benefits of restoring bears.  Grizzly bears if nothing else represent the "wild" part of America that is fast disappearing.  Can we as Americans sustain a few select places where we glimpse the possibility of connecting to something higher.

When I was a park ranger, I often heard from visitors that they appreciated what people like John Muir, Teddy Roosevelt, Aldo Leopold, and Rachel Carson had done to protect our wildlife heritage.  But immediately right after many added, they wished these leaders had done more.  Fair enough, I share that sentiment. But there is nothing we can do about the decisions of are ancestors.  However, we are the ancestors of the future, are they going to look back and say "I wish they had done more to protect the Grizzly bear."  If the North Cascades Grizzly bear recovery plan is done correctly, I don't think so.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Sean Smith